The global recession continues to create new realities for students, institutions, and faculty members engaged in higher education. This blog chronicles those changes for academic / historical record purposes. Click on the URL at the end of each posting to view the complete news report.

Friday, January 6, 2017

Millions of older Americans are having their federal benefits garnished to repay student loan debt. To recoup student-loan debt, the government is leaving people who rely on Social Security with benefits that fall below federal poverty guidelines, the Government Accountability Office said Tuesday. The number of older Americans defaulting on education loans has steadily increased in recent decades, as many have returned to college or co-signed loans for family members. Unpaid debt has resulted in the government garnishing the benefits of 114,000 people age 50 and older in the past year, more than half of whom were receiving Social Security disability rather than retirement income, the GAO report said.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2016/12/20/the-disturbing-trend-of-people-losing-social-security-benefits-to-student-debt/